Wednesday, 18 December 2013

First I´d like to thank Marius Thomsen for providing me with a screener.On a forgotten and solitary island a group of evil guys organize special hunting seasons. A place where everybody with no moral but enough money can go for a hunt on humans. The former soldier and cop Even Harder (Dennis Jürgensen) is kidnapped and declared the next prey target. But he turns the tables and starts a one-man war against the organizers and their clients... Terror Island Overkill: Blutgericht in Todeszone 13 is shot, produced written and directed by Marius Thomsen. The acting is decent and a lot of it is tongue in cheek, the camerawork and editing is good. This flick is of course not meant to be taken too seriously and the violence is over the top, I laughed out loud several times. The pacing is great. The soundtrack is good. Terror Island Overkill: Blutgericht in Todeszone 13 is very violent and gory!!! Muzzleflashes as guns are fired, explosions and some squibs are computer rendered but I think all the gore is done practical. We get beheadings, eye poking, chopping of arms and much much more. The use of overkill in the title is very fitting as the set piece killings just keeps coming. There´s no T and A in this.This review is based upon a DVD-screener which I got from the director and it is german language only. Terror Island Overkill: Blutgericht in Todeszone 13 will be getting a DVD-release in the near future from Maximum Uncut Productions.Rating: 6 out of 7. This made my day! Terror Island Overkill: Blutgericht in Todeszone 13 made me think of Peter Jackson´s early splatterfeasts Bad Taste and Brainded and their mix of splatter, action and comedy and that is a very good thing! Sure there are some flaws but those can be attributed to the obviously limited budget. If you are a fan of splatter movies then Terror Island Overkill: Blutgericht in Todeszone 13 is a must for you! Highly recommended for splatterfans worldwide!/JL

Thursday, 28 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Brain Damage Films for providing me with a screenerAn ex-military man Daniel Wilson and his wife Lisa share a life which seems perfect in an environment of family people and cozy surrounding of trees and greenery. When they head to a local pub for a drink, the barmaid is raped by a gang member Frankie Harris. Wilson intervenes, beats up the thug Harris and throws him out of the place much to the pleasure of the other patrons. Later, the thug brings his gang and they beat up Daniel in a park. Daniel and Lisa comfort each other in their home unknowingly watched by the gang members outside. One night, Lisa is kidnapped from the house. Upon returning home, Daniel receives a ransom note and a phone call. He agrees to pay the gang but the trouble does not stop here and escalates to a full-scale war on both sides. Jennifer manages to track herself to the lair of the villains. Realizing that they lack people and weapons, the heroes approach a rival gang of the villains and meet Jack and Ashlee. The five of them: Daniel, Shane, Jennifer, Jack and Ashlee proceed to the villains' lair in the Australian outback and engage in a long and final battle with the gangsters where only one side will emerge victorious. Wild Justice is written by Calvin Wong and Terry 'Watto' Watkins and is directed by Julian Cheah. The acting skills ranges from pretty bad to pretty good. The camerawork and editing is for the most part good (look at my comments on the topic of the fight scenes). The soundtrack is good. The pacing is pretty good. This being a actionflick, the main question gotta be "how are those sequences?" Well the martial arts/fight scenes are uneven both due to the choreography and how they are shot and edited. I like to be able to see the moves, the techniques but in Wild Justice the action is partly obscured due to the way that scenes are staged. There´s no gore, there computer rendered squibs as people get shot, I do know why some film makers choose to go that route but honestly practical bloody squibs is so MUCH BETTER than cgi.There´s brief female topless nudity. Wild Justice will be released on VOD in January 2014 by Brain Damage Films.This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Brain Damage Films.Rating: 2½ out of 7. Wild Justice is a bit uneven but it´s not too shabby, had it had practical gore, better shot fight scenes, showcasing the characters martial arts skills, I would surely have given it a better rating./JL

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

This horrific tale begins in 1983, when shortly after coming across a magical ancient artifact, Navy pilot Hank Campbell loses his mind and murders all his fellow pilots. Right before getting locked up, he hides the powerful object somehwere in the plane. BLOOD RELIC tells the harrowing story of what happens more than two decades later, as preparation of the aircraft for an air and space museum exhibit coincides with Hank's release from a mental institution. With the knowledge of where the talisman is hidden, Hank sets out to wreak voodoo havoc on the people who put him away Blood Relic is written by Matthew M. Howe and J. Christian Ingvordsen who also is the director. The acting is pretty decent, Billy Drago is good but in my opinion he should have had much more screen time as he is without a doubt the strongest actor of the bunch. The camerawork and editing is good. There is some pretty nice use of military stock footage, it is used to good effect and edited in in such a way that it blends pretty good with the rest of the flick. The pacing is good. There´s isn´t much suspense or thrills in this as we are in very familiar territory. The soundtrack is good. There´s gore, slit throat, knife imbedded in head and so on but Blood Relic isn´t as gory as I hoped for, let´s face it this could have been a very gory slasher. Quite a few scenes aren´t graphic at all, it is kept off screen. There´s gratuitous T and A in this, courtesy of Caitlin Sabins, Kelly Ray, Melanie Rademaker and Debbie RochonBlood Relic is also known as Scare Museum.This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Mti Home Video. Beware that the UK DVD release is cut.Rating: 2 out of 7. There´s no real surprises in Blood Relic, if you know the slasher genre you can more or less predict everything that´ll happen on the screen. There are a few good moments and we do get Billy Drago who is great but that isn´t enough to make Blood Relic better than the mediocre slasher that it is./JL

Monday, 25 November 2013

It´s that time of the year to present my top ten of the films that I had the pleasure to watch during 2013, I have seen many good feature film and shorts so it has been pretty hard but here are ten films that made a huge impression on me

7th Day (2013)A pervert, murderer, and hopeless romantic, Allen Dean (Mark Sanders) is on a seven day journey to discovery his real true love. He is torn between Denise the waitress he believes he loves and his first true love, murder. Director Jason Koch adds a surreal tone to this violent tale seen through the eyes of a serial killer. We delve into Allen's life and thoughts as he prepares for what he believes to be his destiny, impending fame. 7th Day is written by Mark leake and is directed by Jason Koch. Rating: 7 out of 7. 7th Day is an amazing flick! I love the fact that the main character isn´t the typical serial killer mastermind in the style of Hollywood. He´s a average joe who could very well be your next door neighboor or co-worker. The blurb on the poster isn´t missleading, this is on par with classics such as Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer and Scrapbook. This is not for the squemish. 7th Day gets my highest recommendations, it is a MUST buy!!

Coyote (2013)An insomniac writer's (Bill Oberst Jr.) sleep-deprived hallucinations distort reality as paranoia drives him to extreme violence. Coyote is written and directed by Trevor Juenger. Rating: 7 out of 7. I loved Coyote! It´s an amazing flick, it´s well made, well played and a truly horrific ride into ever greater insanity. Bill Oberst Jr. confirms again how talented he is and I want to see more of Trevor Juenger´s work. Coyote gets my highest recommendations! Make sure to check it out!

Saturday Morning Massacre (2012) A team of amateur paranormal investigators struggles to make ends meet by debunking reports of supernatural incidents. With the group on the verge of bankruptcy, they take on a case involving rumors of suspicious disappearances and violent deaths linked with the abandoned Kyser schoolhouse. Discounting stories of satanic practices, the team proceeds, desperately chasing cash and the opportunity to... fulfill their lives’ mission – to catch a real ghost. On a tour guided by the local sheriff, the crew learns of the schoolhouse’s gruesome past, and despite the sheriff’s advice to spend the night in a hotel, they decide to stay. They set up their gear and prepare for nightfall, and when the sun goes down, the truth comes out: the Kyser house might actually be haunted by sadistic spirits – or something even worse. Saturday Morning Massacre is written by Jory Balsimo, Kat Candler, Aaron Leggett, Jonny Mars and Jason Wehling. It is directed by Spencer Parsons. Rating: 7 out 7. Saturday Morning Massacre was amazing. It is well made, scary and gory. I´m sure, as early as the 16th of january of 2013 when I´m writing this review, that Saturday Morning Massacre will be on my top ten of the best flicks I`ve seen during 2013. Fantastically good stuff here!! Be sure to check it out!!

Wither (2012)Ida (Lisa Henni) and Albin (Patrick Almkvist) are a happy couple. They set off to a cabin in the vast Swedish woodlands to have a fun holiday with their friends. But under the floorboards waits an evil from Sweden's dark past. Wither is written by David Liljeblad, Tommy Wiklund and Sonny Laguna who also are the directors. Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this tremendously, Wither is a great creepy ride that delivers the chills and thrills that we fans of horror movies want. According to the filmmakers they had a budget of approx 46 000 USD (according to current currency) and every dollar is on screen, it is quite incredible how good Wither looks. On a final note, I´m so pleased to finally see a good swedish horror flick. It makes me proud.

Hazmat (2013)The television crew of the "Scary Antics" hidden camera show habitually sets up innocent chumps for scary practical jokes on national television. For a special behind-the-scenes episode, a group of friends wants to set up Jacob (Norbert Velez), a disturbed young man who is having problems adjusting after his father's death at a chemical factory. Jacob is convinced that the factory is haunted, and now Scary Antics is going to proof him right. Friends and crew are having a good laugh at Jacob's expense when something goes horribly wrong. The tables are turned and now they're the ones that are running for their lives. Trapped inside the boarded-up building with an ax- wielding maniac, this is definitely no laughing matter. HazMat is produced, written and directed by Lou Simon. Rating: 7 out of 7. Once in awhile a flick pops up out of the blue and knocks you off your feet, I didn´t know much about HazMat and it blew me away. It is one of the best slashers I´ve seen in a long time, well made, entertaining and highly enjoyable. HazMat is now on my "must buy when it get its release on DVD" list and it should be on yours also. This is a must for fans of the slasher genre but it is also worthwhile to check out even if you are just a fan of the horror genre generally. HazMAt gets my highest recommendations!!

Found (2012)Marty (Gavin Brown) is the ideal fifth grader. He gets good grades, listens to his teachers, and doesn't start trouble in class. But a darkness is beginning to fall over Marty's life. The kids at school won't stop picking on him, his parents just don't seem to understand him, and now Marty must grapple with a terrible secret that threatens to destroy life as he knows it -- his big brother is a serial killer! Brotherly love is put to the ultimate test in this emotional coming-of-age story that descends into full-blown horror. Found is written by Todd Rigney and Scott Schirmer who also is the director. Rating: 7 out of 7. Found is a fantastic flick and it will, without a doubt, be one of the best flicks I´ll watch this year. It´s a very well made, very well acted coming of age flick in the horror genre. It´s Scott Schirmer feature film debut and what a debut it is! This is one director that I´ll be keeping an eye out for in the future. Even if I´m a seasoned fan of the horror/exploitation genre I do find the ending of Found truly haunting and it will probably stay with me for some time. Found gets my highest recommendations, now make sure to catch it when it is showing near you. This is a must watch!!

Deadly Presence (2013)Andie, Candace and Julie were looking for a night of fun when they decided to stay at the Stanton house, a house rumored to be haunted. Several months later Andie receives a phone call from Candace inviting her over to catch up. When Andie arrives at her apartment, she can't help but notice Candace's strange behavior and decides to stay the night. The following morning Andie wakes up to find a journal and video from Candace and soon after, discovers her dead in the bathtub. After viewing the video, Andie stays another night at the apartment upon Candace's request. Unsure of what to do, Andie tries seeking answers in the journal that Candace left behind. Andie realizes that Candace’s strange behavior started just days following their stay at the Stanton house. Is the house really haunted? Andie soon finds out for herself... Deadly Presence is written by Megan Lynn, David Fite and Shane Cole who also is the director. Rating: 7 out of 7. Deadly Presence is a great ghost story, it´s well made, offering effective scares, nice visuals and it´s genuinely creepy at times. Highly recommended!!

The Millennium Bug (2012)When the Haskin family seeks refuge from Y2K hysteria in the isolated forests of the Sierra Diablos mountains, madness and terror find them there. Abducted by a vicious hillbilly clan, the Haskins fight for survival, but neither they nor the hillbilly Crawfords can comprehend the monstrous nightmare about to erupt from the bowels of the earth. The Millennium Bug is written and directed by Kenneth Cran. Rating: 7 out of 7. Fantastic!! The Millennium Bug is incredible, an unbelievable achivement by filmmakers working on a small scale budget. This looks fantastic! This just blew me away, the combination of backwoods survival and creature feature is a big winner (I love both genres). I totally convinced that The Millennium Bug will be on my Top Ten of the best movies I´ve seen during 2013 when the time comes to compile that list. This gets my highest recommendations, it´s a must see!

Demon Resurrection (Video 2008) Something's wrong with Grace (Alexis Golightly) and her friends are worried. Ever since she moved in with her new boyfriend, she's been behaving strangely and looks ill. Is she on drugs? Fearing the worst, the friends decide to stage an intervention at the couple's isolated house. But when they arrive they realize they've made a potentially lethal mistake... Grace isn't on drugs but she is in terrible danger. Her condition is the result of something horrible that was done to her during the brief time she was a member of an obscure cult headed by a mysterious man named Toth. The friends learn that Grace's boyfriend rescued her from the cult but that Toth is intent on getting her back and has picked that very night to lay siege to the house, using all the supernatural powers at his disposal. Why does he want her so badly? The friend's must struggle to find the answer while the evil cult leader summons up the very forces of hell against them! Demon Resurrection is written and directed by William Hopkins. Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot, it makes the most of its low budget and succeeds being a well made and entertaining horror flick. It´s a nice blend of zombies and occult horror. Highly recommended so make sure to check this one out!

Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow (2011)Three years after the War, the United States is destroyed. Civilization has devolved into anarchy and tribalism. A soldier, Michael (David Eby), finally comes home, only to find his wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped. Accompanied by a disparate group of survivors, he leads the hunt to find his kidnapped daughter and kill the Reverend (Sam Dalton) whose neo-Confederate tribe was responsible. Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is written, directed and edited by Steven Berryessa. Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! The DVD cover and title is a bit missleading as this ain´t just another of all those low budget zombie flicks. I love the bleak and grim post apocalytic setting! In my opinion Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is well-paced and gets better and better. This is ambitious and impressive effort from Steven Berryessa. Highly recommended so make sure to check it out!

Thursday, 21 November 2013

When three beautiful young women set out for a relaxing weekend retreat in the woods, they unwittingly stumble upon a sadistic band of backwoods yokels. Taken prisoner by the insane matriarch and her demented sons, the women are forced to fight back using anything they can get their hands on. Heads roll, blood spurts, and genitals are mutilated as the women use myriad objects to do battle with Mother’s loving sons. Mother's Day is written by Warren Leight and Charles Kaufman who also is the director. The acting is pretty decent, some of it is straight, some of it is over the top and (I think) intentionally toungue in cheek, The camerawork and editing is good. The soundtrack is pretty good. The pacing is good, perhaps I´m a bit jaded but the silly black comedic moments kind of dampens the impact for me, sure some scenes are intense, some of them are not for the squemish, but (for example) the idiotic boot camp sequence just puts a dent in the horrific flick this could have been. It´s gory, violent and pretty brutal at times. There´s brief topless nudity in this, actually I think there is more male ass on display than female skin.This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment.Rating: 4 out of 7. I can imagine this sparkling some controversy when it was first released in the 1980s due to some of the scenes. It´s a good flick but I can´t help wonder how Mother's Day would have been if they discarded the comedic bits (some of which are very silly) and just played it straight but then it might have aliented some of its audience, the Troma-fanbase seem to prefer the jokey flicks./JL

Wednesday, 20 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Midnight Releasing for providing me with a screener.A thousand years ago the world completely collapsed. Not much remains, except for the mutants, scum, and robo-people. Everyone must kill to survive. Even Santa. It is the year 8000. War, famine, and disease have ravaged the earth, transforming it into an inhospitable, desolate wasteland. Infinite Santa - half human and half machine - survives any way he can in this bleak world. Despite his tough existence, Infinite Santa still dreams of keeping the Christmas spirit alive by spreading goodwill and cheer to the nice people of the world. But as the years have passed it has become harder for Infinite Santa. Instead of good people, all he finds are evildoers and hideous, no-good robo-mutations. His one ray of hope is Martha, a robot girl full of the Christmas spirit. He rescued her from a deadly situation, and now she is like a daughter to him. They have a hard life but a good one, living on Santa's ranch with his robo-reindeer. But Santa's luck is about to run out. Santa's arch-enemy, the evil mad scientist Dr. Shackleton, has found Santa again. Shackleton hates Santa and his stupid holiday, and will stop at nothing to uncover Infinite Santa's mysterious secrets...and then destroy Infinite Santa once and for all. Dr. Shackleton is no fool. He knows how powerful Infinite Santa is, and has built an army to destroy him and Martha. Batsharks, Crabmonkeys, Dragonfly Snakes, Octo-Blobs, and Skin-Bots - and if they can’t kill Infinite Santa, a 100-foot Evil Easter Bunny should do the trick. This fight will test Infinite Santa to his limits. He'll need machine guns, flamethrowers, machetes, knives, jet packs, ornament grenades, and everything else in his arsenal just to survive. Because Dr. Shackleton must be stopped. The fate of Christmas hangs in the balance. Infinite Santa 8000 is written by Greg Ansin and Michael Neel who also is the director. The voiceacting is decent, the soundtrack consists of heavy metal, played during the action sequences, and electronic music. The pacing is good but Infinite Santa 8000 is i some parts a bit monotonic. It gets very videogameesque after it passes the 60 minute mark of running time, you´ll see what I mean. I did not like the style of animation but that just my opinion, on the plusside this is a wild and crazy ride with a cybernetic santa, a GIANT easter bunny and much more. There´s no nudity in this. It´s a very violent animated flick but it is all very tongue in cheek.Infinite Santa 8000 will be released on VOD by Midnight Releasing in December 2013.This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Midnight Releasing.Rating: 2½ out of 7. Infinite Santa 8000 is a inventive and pretty entertaining ride, I can hint influences from Dustin Wayde Mills work and fans of his flicks will most probably find things to appreciate in Infinite Santa 8000. This just might be this years christmas season flick for fans of independent filmmaking./JL

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

After a series of brutal, unexplained murders in a remote forest, a rogue military unit is recruited to hunt for whoever - or whatever - has rendered the attacks. In order to carry out the investigation , they need the help of the only survivor, Kate (Megan Malloey). But first they have to get her released from the mental institution she´s been confined to since the horrific attack. Unseen Evil 2 is written by Scott Spears and Garrett Clancy and is directed by Jeff Leroy. The acting is pretty bad, honestly I´m wondering, how did they get Lorenzo Lamas to act in this? I know that he´s done a ton of B-movies but I think the budget for Unseen Evil 2 must have been among the smallest he´s ever worked with but I´ve read online that he was a true professional and a good guy during the shooting. The rogue military unit is just laughable, Jeff Leroy regular Phoebe Dollar plays one of its members and the character is called Phoebe. The pacing is fast and furious. There´s plenty of flashbacks to Unseen Evil (1999) and I do need to get that flick asap. There is gratuitous topless nudity courtesy of Elisabeth Hayden Smith in the beginning of this. It´s gory, the creature rips and slashes trough his victims and it is gory. The creature make-up fx, man in suit, is good/cool and I liked it a lot but there are also some truly horrendous computer rendered creature fx, seriously they are frickin bad!! This being a Jeff Leroy flick we do get some miniature effects, which I kinda expected and love.Unseen Evil 2 is also known as Alien 3000.This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Lions Gate Home Entertainment, I guess I should point out that the artwork for this release is deceptive, the creature on the cover does not appear in the movie.Rating: 2½ out of 7. Unseen Evil 2 is good gory fun, it´s certainly not one of Jeff Leroy`s best work, it might just be one of my least favorites among the flicks I´ve seen (I don´t have em all but I do have quite a few and I´m a big fan) but it is pretty entertaining and never boring, the practical creature fx are nice (but the computer rendered stuff is just horrible) and it´s pretty gory./JL

Tyranus, the spirit of a demon gladiator possesses James (Gregory Lee Kenyon) and goes on a horrendous killing spree after James accidentally enters an ancient burial cave cave full of gladiator artifacts while hiking in the Italian Alps. Demonicus is written by Tim Sullivan and Jay Woelfel who also is the director. The acting is terrible, some of the dialogue is laugh out loud funny. Strangely there are not any sympatheic characters in this. The camerawork and editing is pretty good. The soundtrack is pretty good but I felt that some of it would fit better in a actionflick. The gladiator armour and weaponry looks ridiculously cheap and plastic. The action sequences are very poorly staged. The pacing is pretty good. It´s pretty gory, arms, legs and heads are cut off but the fx is weak and cheap although the gladiator corpse is actually pretty cool. There´s some bad computer rendered fx in this. There´s no T and A in this.This review is based upon the region 2 DVD release from Film 2000.Rating: 0½ out of 7. Demonicus is filled to the brim with unintentional comedy, the concept isn´t bad, it has potential but it would have been much better with likeable characters, better acting, some rewrites and better fx./JL

Monday, 18 November 2013

Discovered perfectly preserved deep in the Amazon forest, an Ice Age female is unearthed by an archeologist who wants to exhibit her as the find of the century. The plane carrying the "Ice Queen" back to civilization crashes near a ski resort, and when the terrifying missing link is restored to life, she launches a killing spree that the trapped survivors must stop, or face certain death. Ice Queen is written by David R. Williams, Peter Beckwith and Neil Kinsella. The acting is pretty decent. The camerawork and editing is good. I noticed that they use the helicopter attack footage from Abel Ferrara´s Body Snatchers (1993) and I´m pretty sure that they used footage from more movies. The big avalanche sequence is most probably a mix of new and old footage, in that sequence there is computer rendered fx but also miniature work. The soundtrack is good. The pacing is good and this flick is never boring. One good thing about Ice Queen is that it isn´t too predictable but there´s some scenes that are just too frickin silly, a prime example of this is when the Ice Queen gets attracted to the main male character. A scene which kinda kills any chance of suspense and more or less ruins the experience of watching the flick (at least for me). There´s T and A in this flick courtesy of Jennifer Hill (as the character Elaine), in addition to it she does spend a lot of time in a wet t-shirt which provides some gratuitous shots of her tits. There´s only brief gore in this, this is due to the Ice Queen´s method to kill her victims (she freezes them from the inside out). The creature make up fx design is pretty good.Ice Queen is also known as Avalanche Run.This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from MTI Home Video.Rating: 2 out of 7. I do like parts of Ice Queen, first of all it is pretty entertaining, not too predictable and the scope of it is pretty ambitious. On the downside, frickin silly in parts and could have been, should have been much gorier. /JL

TOMCAT ANGELS combines the high-flying high-tech action of TOP GUN with the sexy, sizzling chaos of ANIMAL INSTINCTS. The beautiful Angels, highly trained fighter pilots, protect the free world while they practice love. Ripped from today’s headlines, TOMCAT ANGELS is a unique blend of action in the clouds and between the sheets. When one of the Angels is captured over enemy lines, the others must fly a daring rescue mission into an enemy hellhole of sex and perversion. On land, in the air, and on the sea, TOMCAT ANGELS have nuclear arms and terrific legs! Tomcat Angels is written and directed by Don Edmonds. The acting is bad, obviosly acting skills wasn´t the most important factor when picking out the female actresses. The camerawork and editing is pretty good. There´s a lot of stock footage in this, I don´t mind Troma using stock footage as it´s probably the best part of Tomcat Angel but it´s pretty hilarious as the stock footage is grainy, and sometimes even switches between color and black and white. The soundtrack is okay. The pacing is slow and Tomcat Angels is actually a very boring flick. There are some stupid scenes in this which provides some unintentional comic relief. The action is badly staged, even the dogfight stock footage looks like shit.There´s gratuitous T and A and several sex scenes in this in this. There´s no gore in this.This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD-R release from Troma Entertainment.Rating: 0½ out of 7. Tomcat Angels is a veritable sleeping pill even if probably features enough T and A for at least two flicks. But at least it isn´t pretentious, it knows that it is trashy exploitation but unfortunately it´s just so boring, dreadfully boring. Now some of you might ask, "is this so bad that it´s good?" No, it isn´t it is just a sleep inducing flick./JL

Friday, 15 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Direwit Films for providing me with a screener.A pervert, murderer, and hopeless romantic, Allen Dean (Mark Sanders) is on a seven day journey to discovery his real true love. He is torn between Denise the waitress he believes he loves and his first true love, murder. Director Jason Koch adds a surreal tone to this violent tale seen through the eyes of a serial killer. We delve into Allen's life and thoughts as he prepares for what he believes to be his destiny, impending fame. 7th Day is written by Mark leake and is directed by Jason Koch. The acting is good, Mark Sanders is great as Allen Dean!! It´s professionally shot and edited, it is a good looking movie. The soundtrack is good! I was sitting on nails throughout 7th Day, intrigued and couldn´t take my eyes off the screen. 7th Day gives us a fascinating insight into the life of a serial killer, his motivations, his delusions and more. I guess we, as a viewer should perhaps be thankful for the moments of black comedy in this which otherwise might have been a very dark and bleak flick and these moments fit in the movie, don´t we all have those moments in our lives once in awhile. There´s no female nudity in this but here is some male nudity. There´s necrophilia, Allen rapes some of his female victims after he kills them, and incest. 7th Day is very gory and nasty, the gore fx and creature fx from Aftermath FX Studios is top notch! There´s shootings, stabbings, slashings, dismemberment and more on screen.You can order your copy through Amazon.com, click here .This review is based upon a DVD screener provided by Direwit Films.Rating: 7 out of 7. 7th Day is an amazing flick! I love the fact that the main character isn´t the typical serial killer mastermind in the style of Hollywood. He´s a average joe who could very well be your next door neighboor or co-worker. The blurb on the poster isn´t missleading, this is on par with classics such as Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer and Scrapbook. This is not for the squemish. 7th Day gets my highest recommendations, it is a MUST buy!!/JL

VHS Madman Victor McCoy is searching for the ultimate collectors prize in the form of an obscure release called THE FORCE BENEATH, directed by insane film-maker Verner Banks. Victor will go to any lengths to obtain the reclusive tape once he finds the sole owner. Meanwhile, in the town, a madman dressed as the Chainsaw Killer begins a terror filled rampage, slaughtering anyone in his path with the roaring saw! What is the connection between the killer and the lost film? Can the local Sheriff stop the bloodshed? Chainsaw Killer is directed by Mark Polonia (I can´t find any info on who wrote the screenplay). The acting is ranges from uneven to pretty bad, the camerawork and editing is decent.The soundtrack is decent. The concept reminds me somewhat of the bigger budgeted slasher The Hills Run Red (2009). I don´t know, I just get a feeling that I´m watching two movies (which we are in effect doing as our main character spends much of the running time watching THE FORCE BENEATH), my theory is that some of the material has been shot earlier and at a later date they´ve shot new/additional material to complete the movie but that´s just my theory. The pacing is high but there´s just no suspense at all in this, the killer just looks ridiculous as he runs and grunts wielding a chainsaw througout the flick. Some scenes are so silly, but yet kinda funny, one example is when the killer sneaks up on the sheriff who obviously must be deaf. There´s some topless nudity in this. The kills and the gore are a disappointment, there is a lot of aftermath gore fx shots (appears mainly in the form of photos in the beginning) but they seem to be from stock footage/archive material, considering the potential the concept carries with it but I guess it´s safe to bet that the budget for this flick was pretty slim.This review is based upon the VHS/DVD Deluxe Edition release, limited to 20 units released by Sub Rosa Studios (a picture of the release is included below).Rating: 1½ out of 7. This was pretty bad, a disappointment especially as I actually appreciated Splatter Farm by the Polonia brothers, a review is of that one is available on this blog. I wish they could have compensated the short comings by pouring on nudity, sleaze and gore./JL

First I´d like to thank Midnight Releasing for providing me with a screener.In the wake of losing her baby, lonely Kate Faulkner has become dangerously obsessed with the occult, much to the horror of her only sister, Bec. One night, Bec and her boyfriend, Thom, visit Kate in order to try and make her see the danger of her obsession. Through the use of a Ouija board, they make contact with a mysterious spirit who offers to help Kate in her mission to find her dead son. But events soon take a menacing turn when the séance participants discover the true motives of the mysterious stranger at their door and the dark, eerie place of child sacrifice known as Wyke Wreake. Amnesiac is written by Andrew Rutley and is directed by Martin Rutley. The acting is very good, the camerawork and editing is very good and there are some really nice visuals in this. I must say that the soundtrack is haunting and awesome! The pacing is "different", it´s pretty slow but yet in my opinion it keeps moving in a pretty good pace. There´s a good atmosphere in this, a lot of it´s due to the visuals and the soundtrack which is, as I mentioned, awesome. It´s a non-linear flick and I found myself a bit confused at times. There´s brief gore in this, there´s a scene where a character is trashing around in cheaply made guts but otherwise the gore is pretty good but brief. There´s no topless nudity in this but there is a bit of male ass.Amnesiac was released on DVD by Midnight Releasing on 11/05/2013 by Midnight Releasing.This review is based upon a passwordprotected onlinescreener provided by Midnight Releasing.Rating: 5½ out of 7. If you´re looking for quick thrills, gore, nudity and a high pace Amnesiac will most probably disappoint you. I found this to be a interesting 90 minutes flick, good visuals, nice soundtrack and not at all the kind of horror flick that I thought it would be. /JL

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Meet NYPD Sgt. Harry Griswold, a streetwise cop who becomes possessed with the spirit of a great Kabuki master, transforming him into the worldâs most unusual super-human hero. Using a new arsenal incuding fatal sushi heatseeking chopsticks and pyro projectile parasols, Sgt. Kabukiman must save the day! Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is written by Lloyd Kaufman, Andrew Osborne, Jeffrey W. Sass, Fumio Furuya, Satoshi Kitahara, Robert Coffey and Cliff Hahn. It is directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. The acting is pretty good and a lot of it is tongue in cheek, this is first and foremost a comedy. The camerawork and editing is good. The soundtrack is good, the main theme is surprisingly catchy. The pacing is good, it´s never far between the laughs or the action. There´s the usual no holds barred approach from Troma Entertainment, we get crazy comedy with some fantastic dialogue and set pieces mixed with often pretty gory violence. I´m sure that this isn´t for everyone, there are quite a lot of scenes that some viewers might consider goofy and plain ridiculous but this is part of the recurring themes from Troma (although there´re are exceptions). There´s topless nudity and sexual situations in this. There is some cartoonish gore and couple of pretty juicy squibs when people get shot. There are also som epretty nice creature fx, man in suit fx I believe, towards the end.This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Troma Entertainment. Rating: 5 out of 7. Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is a pretty good mix of action, carefree crazy comedy and fantasy. It made me think of The Mask (1994) starring Jim Carrey but this predates it (although I´m not sure about when they started to publish the Mask comic book, just remember reading it). It´s a really funny and entertaining flick and in my opinion it is a great alternative to the big budget studio efforts. I would have liked it to be a little bit gorier, I would have loved if the climatic battle between Sgt. Kabukiman and the monster had been given more screentime. /JL

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Brian Paulin for providing me with a screener.David Gates, a cryptozoologist is hired to film his investigations. One of them being a mysterious town where all of it's inhabitants have vanished without a trace. David uncovers far more than he anticipated and puts his own life at risk. Afterwards David begins to feel the bizarre effects from the town within his own biology. Mean while he is sent by his investor to film an exorcism. Something that is completely outside of his expertise. Already suffering from unnatural symptoms, David, who is now reluctantly in the presence of pure evil, fears that multiple inhuman forces are tearing him apart from inside. Cryptic Plasm is written and directed by Brian Paulin (he also plays one of the main characters.. The acting is good, it keeps improving with each effort from Morbid Vision Films. The camerawork and editing is decent. The soundtrack is good and helps build a haunting, dreading atmosphere. I don´t, as usual wanna go into details because that means that I´ll spoil the fun for the viewer, lets just say that in this we bits of several subgenres of the horror genre. The pace is pretty slow but I like that. It´s very gory, as can be expected by Morbid Vision Films, and it´s all practical fx work (courtesy of Brian Paulin), and in addition to the on-screen carnage we also get creature effects in this. There´s a spectacular"what the fuck am I seeing" climax in Cryptic Plasm, this is one of the things that I love with Brian Paulin´s flicks, when you think you seen it all he pushes it one step further. There´s no T and A in this.At time that Í´m writing this Cryptic Plasm has only had a very limited release at a Heavy Metal festival held in the US but I recommend that you keep a close eye on the Morbid Vision Films website as the remaining copies will soon be available there, link http://www.morbidvisionfilms.com/ and while you´re there take the opportunity to order some of the other DVD releases from this very small but great independent company. This review is based upon e pre-release DVD-screener provided by Morbid Vision Films.Rating: 6½ out of 7. If you are a fan of independent horror, a gorehound (which should mean that you´re already a fan of Morbid Vision Films) then this is a must for you. Brian Paulin shows again that he´s a very ambitious film maker that dares to go that extra mile. Sure Cryptic Plasm has some flaws, often in the form of different signs of the limited budget, but it´s a horrific, no holds barred trip into hell. Highly recommended!/JL

Sunday, 10 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Brain Damage Films for providing me with a screenerAndie, Candace and Julie were looking for a night of fun when they decided to stay at the Stanton house, a house rumored to be haunted. Several months later Andie receives a phone call from Candace inviting her over to catch up. When Andie arrives at her apartment, she can't help but notice Candace's strange behavior and decides to stay the night. The following morning Andie wakes up to find a journal and video from Candace and soon after, discovers her dead in the bathtub. After viewing the video, Andie stays another night at the apartment upon Candace's request. Unsure of what to do, Andie tries seeking answers in the journal that Candace left behind. Andie realizes that Candace’s strange behavior started just days following their stay at the Stanton house. Is the house really haunted? Andie soon finds out for herself... Deadly Presence is written by Megan Lynn, David Fite and Shane Cole who also is the director. The acting is good, it´s professionally shot and edited. The soundtrack is superb! The audio plays a large part in setting the great atmosphere in this. There is brief gore, but this isn´t a movie that relies on blood and gore to deliver the scares.There´s no T and A in this.Deadly Presence will be released on VOD in December 2013 by Brain Damage Films.This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Brain Damage Films.Rating: 7 out of 7. Deadly Presence is a great ghost story, it´s well made, offering effective scares, nice visuals and it´s genuinely creepy at times. Highly recommended!! /JL

First I´d like to thank Midnight Releasing for providing me with a screener.After being cleared in an internal investigation, FBI Special Agent Nicole Diaz is reinstated and sent back home to the town of Oro Negro to help solve the bizarre murders of two agents. She's met with disdain by the local Sheriff, a good ol' boy who doesn't believe they are being taken seriously and is insulted they sent a woman. At first, it's thought the killings are random acts committed by smugglers or drug dealers, that is until the resident Tribal Ranger realizes the bodies have been drained of blood and suspects it is something more, but his beliefs are dismissed. Soon after, a mysterious woman and her aide appear during an autopsy and claim responsibility for creating the perfect killing machine. A creature designed specifically for desert warfare to be used by the military. It has escaped and they need help reacquiring it. Unsure who to believe or trust, Nicole assembles a team and they set out to capture the creature. Demon is written by Bernie Felix Jr and is directed by Rob Walker. The acting is uneven, to say the least. The camerawork and editing is decent. Some of the dialogue is hard to hear due to bad audio. There´s quite a bit of unintentional comedy to be found in this flick, there are a couple of ridiculous scenes. There is one scene, featuring a computer rendered explosion which just feels rushed and as a emergency solution. Even if the running time is just 77 minutes Demon never really excited me as a viewer, there´s no suspense, no thrills and unfortunately no pay off. The kills and the action are bad. I can hardly comment on the final fightscene without resorting to profanities, it´s so disappointing and bad. There is some gore. practical but very cheap gore fx. The creature is mostly kept of screen, although i undertsand the creative choice to keep it off screen, it looks barely decent. There´s no T and A in this, there´s a sex scene but no nudity.Demon will be available on DVD on the 12/3/2013.This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Midnight Releasing.Rating: 1 out of 7. This could have been cool but it´s a true misfire. Seriously, if you´re doing a creature feature, give the frickin creature some proper screen time (after having it obscured/off camera at start), spend some money and effort on the design. Demon would have been so much better if they did that and added some competent gore effects, I can name several make up fx artists who can do very much with very little. /JL

Saturday, 9 November 2013

First I´d like to thank Midnight Releasing for providing me with a online screener.A storm from hell brings mysterious strangers who come with secrets to a B&B on an isolated island. Emma, the B&B owner, is a struggling romance writer. David, a handyman, is a traumatized war veteran wrestling with his past and sleeping in his van. They face a menace more shockingly evil and wickedly terrifying than anything in their wildest dreams. Veronica arrives naked. Coby has blood on him. Then the Others appear. Sex and murder, lust and revenge will make this a night that the romance writer and her new friend will never forget... if they survive. Night of the Naked Dead is written and directed by Junius Podrug. The acting is uneven, some pretty good performances but some are bad, just plain bad. The camerawork and editing is good, I like visual fx used for the atmospheric phenomena. Pretty good use of the setting. The pacing is pretty decent but some viewers will probably find it a bit slow. The back story is pretty cool but is misshandled, they could have made so much more out of it. There´s no gore in this, that DVD artwork is very nice but deceptive! There´s not much nudity to speak of, the title is deceptive....Night of the Naked Dead is being released on DVD 12/3/2013 by Midnight Releasing.This review is based upon a passwordprotected onlinescreener provided by Midnight Releasing Rating: 1½ out of 7. Night of the Naked Dead is a ghost story that could have been very good with some changes, some of which would be quite drastic if I would decide. There are some good moments, some good stuff in in it but they are too few and to far apart. The ending, to put it bluntly, just didn´t do it for me, it´s just unsatisfactory and a big let dow.n/JL

Friday, 8 November 2013

When six hot coeds plan to spend their weekend at a lavish, remote mansion left to their school by a deceased millionaire, they find themselves hunted down and slaughtered by an unseen murderer lurking in the house. Hardcore splatter reigns supreme in a terrifying and unique slasher extravaganza until the killer's identity is revealed during the shocking climax! Girls School Screamers is written by Pierce J. Keating, Katie Keating and John P. Finnegan who also is the director. The acting ranges from decent to pretty bad, the female cast playing students are way too old for the characters that they are intended to portray. The camerawork and editing is good The soundtrack is good. The pacing is slow, it takes a long time (almost 50 minutes), after a promising intro, for things to start happening, naturally I´m now talking about the kills that we all are expecting as this is being labeled as a slasher. The mansion setting is good. The gore fx is cheap and lacks any impact, one of the coolest scenes is when a girl is electrocuted but it´s too dark to make out any details, we can hardly see the make up fx. :-( I will say that the ghost in the beginning of the flick was cool! There´s no T and A in this.Girl School Screamers is also known as Killer Queen (stated on the title card in the beginning of the movie).This review is based upon the region 2 DVD release from Troma Collector´s Edition/One World.Rating: 2 out of 7. Girls School Screamers artwork looks cool, the plot has potential but it´s just too slow, the kills are lame and there no nudity. I do like that it is another feature flick that doesn´t have the usual slapstick, goofy oddball comedy antics that you´ll often find in Troma´s flicks but unfortunately it is pretty dull and nothing I would recommend except to die hard fans of the slasher genre (although I´m reluctant to classify this as a slasher but it has some traits of the genre)/JL

Welcome back to Tromaville High!!! The only school in the country with a giant nuclear rodent for mascot, detention for melting and a bikini dress code. Wanna Hall Pass? Wanna Bus Pass? Wanna Pass Gas? You won’t pass up the mind-bending special effects! The Tromaville student body is in danger again… and it’s not of flunking. Tromaville is under attack from a subhumanoid army led by the evil Dr. Slag and his perfectly proportioned partner Professor Holt (a woman scientist with really big hair, portrayed by Lisa Gaye). On top of that, TROMIE the Nuclear Rodent is raging mad! 3 times the evil of the original! 3 times the mutated monsters of the sequel! With subhumanoid twins battling for Tromaville, more bodacious babes than ever and 3 times the nuclear meltdowns.Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid is written by Lloyd Kaufman, Stephen Gerard, Carl Morano, Jeffrey W. Sass, Matt Unger, Mark F. Roling and Eric Louzil who also is the director. The acting is decent, it is to put it mildly, very tongue in cheek as is the whole flick. Porn icon Ron Jeremy turn up in a scene. The camerawork and editing is good. The soundtrack is good. The pacing is decent, sure there are a lot of comedic scenes but this is much more talky than the earlier flicks. Spontaneously, I wonder where´s the gore?? We do get some effects, and Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid reuses some of the footage of the loveable giant squirrel footage (man in suit) from part 2 and there´s some creature fx.There´s gratuitous T and A in this. This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Troma Entertainment, it´s labeled as director´s cut.Rating: 2½ out of 7. More silly and crazy antics in the same style of part 2 but now it just isn´t as funny, almost all the things I loved in the first Class of Nuke 'Em High is missing in Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid. /JL

Thursday, 7 November 2013

In a story ripped from today's headlines, America has become a land where the brave must fight to be free. A secret band of militant mercenaries are terrorizing the entire nation. They are the Fortress of Amerikka, a brutal, defiant tool of the conspiracy of labor, corporate and bureaucratic elites, set on a deadly coures to destroy the basic tenets of American life. From their base in Troma City, California, this group of crazed mercs shoot and blow up thousands of innocent people as they strive to destroy democracy. Fortress of Amerikkka is written and directed by Eric Louzil. The acting ranges from good to decent to poor, pornstar Kascha Papillon has a role in this (mostly spent topless). The camerawork and editing is good. The soundtrack is nice. There are some unintentional hilarious scenes (due to bad acting) in this not to mention the ridiculous voice over in the beginning of the flick. It´s violent and pretty gory, we get big juicy squibs, bloody gunshotwounds, arms being ripped off, a man gets his head slowly cut off. Men, women, kids, elderly are all getting killed in this. There´s gratuitous T and A in this.This review is based upon the region 2 DVD release from Troma/One World. German and english audio is available. It´s labeled as a director´s cut.Rating: 6½ out of 7. I didn´t know much of Fortress of Amerikkka before putting the DVD disc into my player and this was a very nice surprise. It´s a change of pace from Troma, this isn´t as goofy as some of their flicks tend to be, sure there are some intentional comic relief, for instance in the voice over being used which greatly dampens the potential Fortress of Amerikkka has as an action flick. I imagine that the idiotic voice over in the beginning wasn´t there originally, perhaps it was done to lighten the mood in post editing. It seems that this flick has gotten criticism for being one of the worst Troma flicks but that´s perhaps due to it being different from their ordinary comedic, goofy movies that I guess many of the fans are expecting./JL

Welcome to the Tromaville Institute of Technology, where a meltdown-prone nuclear power plant ceates hideously deformed but very positive thinking humongous mutant squirrels and obnoxious talking belly buttons with bad attitudes. In this incredibly bold adventure in gene-splicing, anarchy and terror rule the campus of Tromaville Tech. Will peace and environmental hygiene ever be restored to the once-peaceful town of Tromaville? Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown is written by Lloyd Kaufman, Eric Louzil, Carl Morano, Mark F. Roling, Jeffrey W. Sass and Matt Unger. It is directed by Eric Louzil and Donald G. Jackson. The acting is decent, it´s very tongue in cheek. The camerawork and editing is good. The soundtrack is good. Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown is a mix of comedy, sci fi and more comedy. Some of the scenes, some of the dialogue, is just amazing.. just bat shit crazy amazing. LoL The pacing is nice, this flick is never dull, we never have to wait long for the next laugh or the next effect (more on the fx later). I chuckled when The Toxic Avenger made a guest apparence as he "happens to arrive on the wrong set", as you understand this ain´t a flick that takes itself seriously. There´s miniature work, a man in suit monster (a giant mutated squirrel), classic stop motion effects which is always nice to see on the screen. There´s some gore but it´s pale compared to the gore fx in the first Class of Nuke 'Em. There´s topless nudity and we get a lot of girls running around in bikinis. This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Troma Entertainment.Rating. 6½ out of 7. Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown is even crazier and funnier than the first but it is not as good. I LOVE the miniature works, the man in suit effects as the giant mutated squirrel goes berzerk, the crazy comedy and so on but something is missing and I ain´t talking about the gore set pieces in the first movie but nevertheless Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown gets my recommendations, make sure to check it out if you´re a Troma fan!/JL

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About Me

I´ll be reviewing Independent Flicks from far and beyond. All the films that are reviewed are in my collection and are original DVD´s.
To submit materials for review please email me for the address: independentflicks@hotmail.com